818 Van Ness: 7/13/08 (www.SocketSite.com)
818 Van Ness is still literally “under wraps” (although not figuratively), but the building’s name (The Artani) and placeholder website have been unveiled. Once again, 52 condominiums, design by Forum Design, and “coming Spring 2008.”
UPDATE: The Artani website has since been changed to read, “Coming Fall 2008.”
The SocketSite Scoop On The 52 Condos Rising At 818 Van Ness Ave [SocketSite]

28 thoughts on “818 Van Ness: Building Still Wrapped, Name Unveiled (“The Artani”)”
  1. “The Artani” – You mean bc of the thriving arts district? Apparently there’s something wrong with using a building number and street name. Does every plywood/stuccoed over structure warrant an airy name as if this were inspiring, enduring architecture? Why does 818 Van Ness Avenue seem so much more urbane and enduring?

  2. Based on the limited info they’ve released I like what I see. I would be very interested to see more. Not the best location but convenient as I work downtown and like the Opera.

  3. Enough with the names already….these things like “Artera” “Artani” et al remind me of new drugs and are probably dreamed up by the same branding consultants. 818 Van Ness is a perfectly good descriptor….
    I myself live in the “Castrillo”…intended to indicate my neighborhood while also communicating that I’m comfortably up the hill and above the bum line…

  4. I like the design and idea. This is a daring and exciting building in an up and coming area of San Francisco. I anticipate that it will totally change the landscape of the South Van Ness area within a few years.

  5. The building has me very interested because of the emerging Van Ness corridor. I work in the area and I think this is the first new sophisticated builiding on Van Ness by far per the rendering. Access to downtown, Hayes Valley, Transportation, The Arts etc….make this very attractive to me.

  6. It seems that Paragon Real Estate Group is selling and marketing the building. They really seem to be growing. I see they have a new pretty large office opening up on Van Ness and Bush. My friend just bought a home through them and she said her agent was amazing. This building looks very promising from the pictures. Love the design! Not boring like symphony towers.

  7. The name is fine. Who cares? At least it is not “The Van Ness” or something along those lines.

  8. @curmudgeon –
    You could always call it the “Castrati.” 😉
    Posted by: lolcat_94123 at July 14, 2008 12:32 PM
    Lolcat_94123,
    Nice one. However, wouldn’t the less desirable area of the Castro qualify as the castrati, given the desire of those up the hill to ‘cut it off’ from them? Either way, the castrati would indeed be the most unkind cut 🙂

  9. Atari? You’re all philistines! The word “Artani,” as I recall, is Italian for “White Elephant.”

  10. And why is nearly everything vaguely italian, by the way? Except for Radiance, which is kinda new age, and BLU, which is just plain idiotic.

  11. It should be called the Maharam (after the textile company whose logo they’ve stolen).
    The placeholder site is funny… Red Wine, White People, City Views & Designer Clothes (on a beat up wood floor?) … it’s exactly the stereotype middle America has of SF when they invoke ‘elitist’.
    Van Ness is such a chaotic street, heavy on urine, honking horns, diesel silt… it would definitely be wise to get a rear-facing unit (maybe even with Bay views?)

  12. Artani, Artera, Argenta – what next, Rudolf, Prancer, Dancer?
    I walked by the place yesterday and really like the architecture – the glass slab jutting above the roof line is an interesting touch.
    I knew someone who lived across the street and complained about drug dealers and bums hanging out on the corner making a lot of noise at night. One would almost need air conditioning – an open window on Van Ness Avenue is not desirable.

  13. HUGH-
    You complain about everything. IT IS A CITY. What block in SF doesn’t smell like urine? Honking? Ha–why don’t you go live in Bolinas.

  14. what can I say? I live one block out of what’s considered West Portal. I’m 1 block south of Golden Gate Heights, and my zip code post office is at 28th and Taraval. I like Castrillo. My tag is the original builders tag for my block. Getting on topic the Van Ness corridor seems to be fulfilling the predictions of 20 years ago. The plan was more housing and it seems like there is.

  15. CPMC Development will be huge for the Van Ness corridor. More high paying jobs and will bring more residents to the corridor that will care about it and will take action to fix things that they are not happy about. A perfect example of this is Hayes Valley. The people that have moved there over the years have worked hard to preserve the charm of the neighborhood that was created. Hayes Valley changes everyday for the better and so will the Van Ness corridor. This buliding to me looks awesome and cant wait to see the rest of the developments go up on Van Ness.

  16. What ever happened to the cii??? I think it was helpful and relevant. Can you bring it back?

  17. I have lived on Van Ness for 26 years and like this building–it’s among the best of the new crop. But the city really should have banned cheap stucco construction from its widest street which would have spared us schlock like the slapped-together condo across the street from 818 (which needed to be repainted 3 days after it was opened to occupancy) and Symphony Towers which is much better construction but will also need repainting soon enough and looks peculiar with its awkward setback.
    I’m almost glad the project at the site of the old Galaxy Theater was aborted because the new design, by the same architect as ST I’m told, looked almost like a twin–they should go back to the old design but San Francisco loves mediocrity (and stucco).

  18. I did a walk through yesterday — these are some of the nicest places I have seen in some time. The sales associate told me they opened the day the DOW plunged (the first time). The units are selling fast, despite the economy. We looked at one of the penthouses, for fun, small but mighty. The views are incredible!

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